Data loss is bad enough, but having that data fall into someone else's hands -- especially if they happen to be the wrong hands -- can be disastrous. While in an ideal we shouldn't be losing data in the first place, we should always hope for the best but plan for the worst.

While I'm not likely to lose my desktop or notebook systems -- I'm careful with my stuff -- one thing that I'm always worried about losing are USB flash drives. They're small and can easily fall out of a pocket. While the drives themselves are cheap enough to replace, the data on them can be valuable beyond measure, and the last thing you might want to happen is for someone else to get a hold of it.

This is where fully encrypted USB flash drives come in handy. For a few weeks now I've been using the Integral Crypto Dual USB flash drive, which, along with protecting my data with high-grade encryption, is also compatible with both Windows and Mac systems.

The Integral Crypto Dual is a high-quality product packed with high-end features, including:

For enterprise users, the drive is fully compatible with endpoint security software.

I like this drive a great deal. Not only are the encryption and anti-brute-force attack mechanisms perfect for protecting your data, the drive itself is solid and robust, and capable of taking a real pounding and still keep going. I particularly like the fact that everything stored on this drive is protected and that I'm not given an option to bypass the encryption for those times when I'm feeling lazy.

A small point, but I also love the fact that the lanyard hold on the drive is on the actual body of the drive and not the cap -- because I don't really care if I lose the cap! And in case you're wondering what that little tab on the ball chain is for, it holds the rubber cap when the drive is in use.

All in all, the Integral Crypto Dual is an awesome drive and it comes with my personal recommendations.